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The Return of Purged Intelligence Officials

A group of former Intelligence Ministry agents are back in action to control Irans news media, this time working through the Security Department of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. The group comprises of officials and agents who were involved - and discredited - in the so-called serial murders cases that involved the murders, imprisonment, harassment, etc of the countrys writers, journalists, intellectuals, and politicians during 1993-1999 years at the hands officials from the Ministry of Intelligence.

After these individuals were purged from the Ministry of Intelligence seven years ago, they continued their intelligence activities that became known as parallel intelligence under the supervision of Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a deputy at the Ministry of Intelligence during Fallahians leadership of the Ministry. Pour-Mohammadi is currently the Minister of the Interior in president Ahmadinejads cabinet. This team has been active in confronting journalists and web-bloggers during the recent years. Their latest onslaught was last year when a large number of web-bloggers were arrested, imprisoned, tried and harassed.

What is new in their work is that now that they are back at the Ministry of Intelligence, they are tightly cooperating with agents in the Security Department of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. In fact, this office at Guidance has been the conduit for the directives and plans of the team at the Intelligence Ministry. During the last few weeks, journalists and writers have been called to appear at the Guidances offices and respond to questions from the security agents. Those that refrained from appearing there, were given very stern warnings and threats. Those that did, whether on their first call or subsequent, were treated in a very humiliating, threatening and confrontational manner so that a number of them have told ROOZ that they are not in a position to even return to their previous jobs and work. Among those that had been called in by Guidance are: a member of the journalists guild, a number of writers from reformists newspapers, a number of journalists from shut-down newspapers, and some writers belonging to news agencies not belonging or controlled by the hardliners.

This new forum and approach speaks of a new method of controlling the press where the public center of operations has shifted from the Judiciary to the Ministry of Islamic Guidance, which in this case is run by the Ministry of Intelligence agents. It appears that those who have implemented the change believe that this way there will be less publicity and eyes on the issue. When the Judiciary was the frontline for attacking journalists and closing newspapers, the issue received wide international coverage and attention.

The new approach aims at preventing journalists and the media from publishing news that is considered detrimental to the hardline circles, both inside and outside the government.

Iran Press News reported that thirty eight U.N. member nations lead by Canada are demanding the condemnation of the Islamic regime for continued and barbarous violation of human rights in Iran.

Iran Press News reported that the Iranian government responded saying: The government of Canada must be held accountable for its own human rights violations.

Iran Press News reported that following last weeks 15000 person strong anti-regime demonstration in front of the IRI embassy, in Rome, Khamaneis newspaper called Italians, Mafiosi and corrupt evildoers.

Iran Press News reported on a controversy in Iran over a destitute family's inability to receive their dead child's body from a hospital. The Iranian media is angry with the government.

AlJazeera reported that Iran offered to give the outside world a 35% share in its uranium enrichment program as a guarantee that its contentious nuclear project won't be diverted toward weapons.

The Guardian reported that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is steering his country in a reckless fashion and there is no guarantee that the engine of the Iranian state is equipped to take such rough handling.

Morteza Abdolalian, Iran Watch Canada reported that political, economical and social unrest in Iran has entered to a new stage. The situation now seems uncontrollable and moving toward a disaster.

Iran Focus reported that the chief of police in Greater Tehran announced that Iranian police are planning to boost a national security plan that will effectively increase a crackdown already in effect.

Suppression of truth at its finest. I need to get back to the site that had the photos of the 8-yr. old Iranian boy. bareknucklepolitics". I had to leave for personal reasons last Friday just as the leftists were coming in to blame America for everything. The radical Iranians talk about having a chance with the Constitutional Revolution of 1905, but they never did really and they have no one but themselves to blame as there was too much discord and the tribal leaders cared more about independence than the rule of law. Even then, the Islamist leaders and the kings played the tribes off against one and other, making each pay for protection against the other. Iran needs federalism. It is too large and too diverse for socialism to succeed. Ahmadinejad doesn't seem to understand that.

3
posted on 11/11/2005 12:36:35 AM PST
by sageb1
(This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)

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